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I’ve just published my first public Python package “pyagentx”, the package will help you build “AgentX” agents to extend a master SNMP agent.

Let’s assume that you want to monitor your custom application from your Network Managment System (NMS), but the NMS only speak SNMP, this package allows you to extend the master SNMP agent to include your custom application metrics.

Monitored Servers

Muni-node-configure

munin-node-configure is really useful command you can use it install all the plugins you need, when you run it will try to test if a plugin can be used or not (–suggest argument), and even give the commands needed to link the plugin automatically (–shell argument)

What is AgentX?

But what is SNMP? let’s say you have a Linux machine you want to monitor, you will use Simple Network Management Protocol or SNMP for short, you install an SNMP agent on the machine like Net-SNMP, and from your management station you connect to the SNMP agent and ask it for the data you want report on, for example the current state of network link.

What happen if you install new software, like PostgreSQL DB, and your SNMP agent doesn’t support it, how can you monitor it! The good news SNMP agents (e.g. Net-SNMP) can be extend with multiple options, the bad news most options are very hard.

One of the most flexible options is AgentX protocol, you will need to build an application that run AgentX protocol (AgentX SubAgent), upon startup it will contact the SNMP agent (AgentX master) and register a part of the MIB tree that your app will handle, the SNMP agent (AgentX master) will forward all queries to your app which will return the result back to the master which will forward it to the management station (Cacti, NMS).

Net-SNMP already have an API to build AgentX Sub Agent, and there are Python module that utilise it, but unfortunately it doesn’t look active, and as far as I know Net-SNMP API it self isn’t the easiest thing to work with.

This is why I started working with Pure Python implementation for AgentX protocol, it is already in a working condition and tested with Net-SNMP agent, I’ve some more issues to resolve before I can use it in production.

So please if you are interested in the field give my module a try, and let me know how can improve it, and also suggest better name.